An Analysis of Carrier-mediated Photodiffusion Membranes

Reversible photochromic reactions can be combined with carrier-mediated transport in partially illuminated membranes to achieve very high degrees of flux enhancement. Transport across these membranes can be achieved even against a concentration gradient. Coupled systems of non-linear diffusion-reaction equations for these membranes were solved using the technique of orthogonal collocation on finite elements to study and optimize the transport across them. The results indicate that the efficiency of light utilization is maximum for thin membranes at low degrees of illumination. Carrier-mediated photodiffusion membranes in combination with a fuel cell can be used for the storage of solar energy.